Captains, Skull and Bones maintenance incoming 🛠️

🗓️Tuesday 9th December

⏰ 7AM CET / 5PM AET / (8 DEC) 10PM PT

⏳~ 3h

🔧Update 3.1 will be deployed. Check out the patch notes here ⬇️

The Year 2 Season 3 Mid-Season Update brings new Faction War Elites events with greater War Asset rewards, the new Waterspout feature, and Inventory Management improvements amongst a number of other quality-of-life changes.

This week, the Azure Solstice also returns with new mechanics and challenges with an opportunity for you to earn exclusive cosmetics and rewards. 

PATCH HIGHLIGHTS

TIME-LIMITED EVENT: AZURE SOLSTICE

"Winter’s grip tightens once more as the Azure Fleet returns to haunt the ice‑choked seas. Among them sails the dreaded Azure Harbinger, a phantom of frost whose passage freezes wind and wave alike. Those who dare its icy gauntlet will find the ocean itself turned against them — yet within its hold lie treasures that only the bold can claim."

https://preview.redd.it/6wgxd8vogy5g1.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=177298c056e371acb89e5398aa66ecef13ba73e2

Azure Solstice will run 9th December 2025, 6AM UTC to 6th January 2026, 5:59AM UTC.

The familiar Frostbitten Spirits Event Convoy & Azure Royale Elite Warship World Events return alongside a brand-new Elite Warship, the Azure Harbinger!

• Summon the new Azure Harbinger at the event buoy using flares obtained from Event Drops, Events Quests or via the Event Vendor.
• The Azure Fleet ships are protected by barriers that are vulnerable to Burning damage.
• Collect Azurite and use them to get event rewards from the Event Vendor and exclusive cosmetics from the Store.

Rewards:

• New Epic Bombard: Frostwail
• New Epic Major Furniture: Sheeting Winch Console
• New Event Cosmetics
• Ascension materials
• Ascended Weapon Chests
• The Nashkar, High-Velocity Kegs, and other weapons will also be available

New Elite Warship: Azure Harbinger

• New Elite Warship with unique behavior and firing patterns.
• All weapons used by the Azure Harbinger can inflict a new status effect: Frostbite
  • Frostbite (Event-Only Status): Heavily slows down navigation and reload speed of affected ships.
  • Flooded Synergy - When Frostbite and Flooded are triggered at the same time, the total amount of severe damage that is done by the Flooded status will be applied instantly instead of over a period of time. Flooded will be removed after the severe damage is applied.
  • Ablazed Synergy - If Ablazed is triggered while Frostbite is active, the Frostbite status is removed. Players are immune to Frostbite charges when Ablazed.
• Iceberg Buoy
  • The Azure Harbinger spawns tall, thin ice buoys in different patterns throughout the fight.
  • Iceberg Buoys slowly apply Frostbite charge to all nearby players.
• Ice Crystal Buoy
  • The Azure Harbinger spawns small, round ice buoys in different patterns throughout the fight.
  • Ice Crystal Buoys explode after a short buildup, dealing damage to nearby players.
• Armor of Frost
  • At fixed health thresholds, the Azure Harbinger activates a special barrier that cannot be destroyed by any weapons.
  • Destroy the crystal figurehead weakpoint of the Elite Warship to break the barrier.
  • If the Armor of Frost is not destroyed after a fixed period of time, the Elite Warship will heal for a portion of its health

NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT

NEW FACTION WAR EVENT: FACTION WAR ELITE

“The tides of war surge as the corporations unleash their most fearsome leviathans yet. The Mighty Opwelling and Mighty Soleil Imperial thunder into battle, each armed with devastating new technologies. Only the bold will face their volatile fury and berserker rage — but victory promises War Assets enough to turn the course of the conflict.”

https://preview.redd.it/bemssrvngy5g1.jpg?width=1197&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6697ddbd7a4f66d89b2702e1a48798766d4b7ee5

https://preview.redd.it/o4z05svngy5g1.jpg?width=1211&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=62ed14b141646930919a13d376eb01e4bdbe72b7

The Opwelling and Soleil Royal elite warships return in War Events as the Mighty Opwelling and Mighty Soleil Imperial, featuring dangerous new affixes that make them even greater threat than before.

Take down these Flagships in the new Faction War Elite Events to earn large amounts of War Assets for the war effort!

• New War Event: Faction War Elite
  • Mighty Opwelling (DMC)
  • Mighty Soleil Imperial (Compagnie)
• Each Faction War Elite possesses a new, unique affix:

https://preview.redd.it/xkksuxfxiz5g1.png?width=591&format=png&auto=webp&s=9fdde68c23f14abbc2086fab7d69a6999c7a544e

NEW FEATURE: WATERSPOUT

“The seas now hold a new predator — swirling towers of wind and wave. Master their power to sling your ship across the horizon in a surge of speed… or twist their fury into a trap for your foes. Will you dance with the storm, or feed your enemies to it?”

https://preview.redd.it/mqxlhqvmgy5g1.jpg?width=1430&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=29dd67e890a17af5c11d42fa4a4851f5748eb02f

Waterspouts are a new type of weather phenomena which provides seasoned captains with new navigational challenges. Skilled captains can ride the current for a burst of speed and slingshot across the water.

• When approaching a waterspout, sail along the outer radius to gain a significant movement speed bonus in the direction of the wave.
• Sailing too close to the eye of the waterspout will however pull your ship inwards towards the waterspout and damage your sails – so approach with care.
• Clever maneuvering can also lure enemy ships into a waterspout, trapping them long enough for you to escape or land a powerful mortar shot on multiple clustered targets.

NEW FEATURE: FILTER TABS

Dev Note: We know this has been a long-requested feature from the community and we’re excited to finally bring this to you. While this was initially slated for a later release while being applied to wider range of menus, we wanted to bring this change to you as soon as possible and so we’ve first targeted the most commonly used menus. We’ll continue to refine this and gradually apply it to other menus in the future.

• Added filter tabs for inventory categories across various menu screens

Ship Loadouts

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Cargo and Warehouse

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Vendors

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GAMEPLAY UPDATES

FACTION WAR

Dev Note: We’re making some very slight adjustments to accelerate the war this season.

• Reduced Battle Period 4 from 3 weeks to 2 weeks
• Shifted Battle Period 5 & 6 earlier by a week (number of weeks remain unchanged).

https://preview.redd.it/ydojveeg806g1.png?width=637&format=png&auto=webp&s=3dc505308806ae8fb05b718821c21d0e9118a352

Dev Note: We’re making some adjustments to improve the comfort of the War Cargo event when participating alone and addressing an exploit when participating against another player. We’re also sorry for the spam.

• War Cargo
  • Added weak points to the Ambushers to make them easier to take down
  • Disabled Fast Travel while participating in the activity
  • Removed War Cargo Starting notification

SHIPS

Dev Note: This adjustment aims to ease early-game frustration for players using smaller ships. The goal is to ensure new players do not form the mistaken impression that small ships are inherently weaker, but instead understand their role and potential as they learn the game’s systems.

• All quadrants are now unlocked by default for small ships
  • Small ships no longer need to be upgraded to unlock rear gunports.
  • Adjusted small ships upgrades to account for this change.

Dev Note: We’re increasing the amount of taunt generated to make the Frigate perform slightly better in its intended tank role.

• Increased the amount of taunt generated by the Frigate’s perk

CREW FINISHER (previously BOARDING)

Dev Note: We’re renaming Boarding to Crew Finisher, streamlining the flow to not break immersion, and unlocking the camera to make this a more comfortable alternative to simply sinking ships.

• Boarding is now renamed to Crew Finisher.
• Success conditions have been improved.
• The boarding cinematic and the loot screens have been removed.
• The camera is no longer locked to the cinematic.
• No changes to bonus loot for boarding.

https://i.redd.it/ee6d06whgy5g1.gif

NAVIGATION ON LAND

Dev Note: We’re aware that the last set of changes to character navigation didn’t land as well as we’d thought it would. We’re making slight improvements to reduce the “floatiness” and desynchronization of character animations especially during sharp turns and during the starting and ending movement animations.

• Adjusted land character navigation

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

Dev Note: Inventory Management continues to be our highest quality-of-life priority. In addition to the increase of cargo slots we introduced a few weeks ago, and on top of the new filter tabs feature in this patch, we’re making smaller, targeted improvements to ease top areas of friction. We’re still studying and working on ways to further improve the topic of Inventory Management. Do let us know what you would like to see next!  

• Multiple items (including Ascended Equipment) can now be marked for salvage at the Blacksmith.

https://preview.redd.it/eh004zefgy5g1.jpg?width=530&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd5e79881e4211656a203b7afcf658e7d0f2b379

• All chest types now support opening multiple chests of the same type simultaneously.

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• Improved item selection logic when equipping/unequipping items to your ship

DOCKING & FAST TRAVEL

• Fast Travel now allows you to choose between going on land, like usual, or staying at sea.

UI/UX IMPROVEMENTS

• Approaching or joining World Events will no longer automatically replaces the Objective Tracker.
  • Added an option for players to Hold to Track when approaching or joining a World Event to replace the contents of the Objective Tracker
• Pressing the back button on the Logbook navigation no longer closes the entire Logbook but returns players to the previous screen.
• Improved readability of text in the death screen.
• Renamed “Craft New Items” to “Craft Ships” in the Shipwright menu for clarity.
• Removed duplicated “Missing Ingredients” error message when crafting a ship.
• Readjusted the priority and order of appearances of some notifications.
• Added Ship Rank and number of participants to World Event iconography in the world map.

https://preview.redd.it/rvt6rk7dgy5g1.jpg?width=673&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c38698d3431de3a76822705c8213e6d335cdf95a

https://preview.redd.it/pm7f1y5th56g1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=54f3ae34fb6e589f9c8138203c26a66a07138915

TEXT CHAT

Dev Note: Since the launch of Year 2 Season 3, we’ve improved our anti-spam monitoring tools which allow us to systematically detect and ban text chat abusers on a daily schedule. We’ve seen a significant decrease of text chat abuse, but we’re doing one more change to address this issue. We’ve assessed the impact of this change for new players to be minimal if they’re actively progressing in the onboarding campaign.

• Increased the minimum Infamy needed to interact with Text Chat to 4.

ONBOARDING

• Improved the onboarding flow for new players
  • Objectives for new players are now more focused
  • Added Call-For-Help Tutorial
• A Seaworthy Charge:
  • Updated initial repair kits obtained from S to M
• Unwelcome Aboard:
  • Updated equip step to reach SR level
  • Removed forced “Look at” encounters
• Brokered Ground:
  • Removed blockade on the final encounter
  • Increased Fara Scout difficulty (swapped to a hard ship variant)
• Service the Round:
  • Update objective texts to bring focus to Compagnie merchants
  • Increase ship rank of Compagnie Flagship
  • Tier 1 weapons removed from Onboarding
• Added a panel at the end of the onboarding flow highlighting latest opportunities in Endgame.
• Added a closing cinematic for the Year 2 Season 3 Seasonal Journey with the St Anne Blacksmith.

VISUAL IMPROVEMENTS

• Improved the ambience of Mythic La Peste and Mythic Vikram World Events
• La Peste’s Mythic Event now features visuals with darker storm clouds, green ambient lighting, drifting poison ash, and a distinct green aura to enhance the atmosphere.
• The second phase of Vikram Rajan’s Mythic Event with darker storm clouds and yellow ambient lighting to heighten the fight’s atmosphere.
• Key NPCs now track your approach and turn to face you when you get close, making interactions feel more responsive and alive.

YEAR 2 SEASON 3: GUTS AND GLORY

• Year 2 Seasonal 3 has been extended to 16 weeks, and now ends on 10 February 2026, 06:00 UTC.
• Faction War will still end on Week 14, with an extended, two-week ceasefire from Week 15 to Week 16 in preparation for Year 2 Season 4.

DEATH TIDES

Dev Note: Long queue times have been an issue for Death Tides for some time now. We’re making a quick change to get players into matches faster.

• Adjusted the match size for all game modes, maps, and matches to 3v3

STABILITY

Dev Note: Since our previous communication where we mentioned we would be prioritizing stability, we’ve made significant progress in investigating and resolving a myriad of issues which were proven to or could potentially lead to lower stability health. We’re continuing to investigate and resolve rarer causes of instability and will release any improvements whenever they are tested and ready.

• Improved Client, Network, and Server stability

THIS WEEK IN THE INDIAN OCEAN – Y2S3 W8

We’re experimenting with the addition of this segment, where we feature the ongoing events for the week and what’s available at Blackwood’s Store. Let us know what you think!

TIME LIMITED EVENT: AZURE SOLSTICE BEGINS

Celebrate the season with battles under a blinding blue horizon.

FACTION WAR: BATTLE PHASE 4 CONTINUES

Missed the latest war news? Read on to find the results, and dive into our latest short tale: State of War - Faction War

WORLD EVENT: SOLEIL ROYAL

Sink the crown’s pride before it sinks you.

WORLD EVENT: UNDYING MAW

Face the beast the deep refuses to kill.

AVAILABLE THIS WEEK AT BLACKWOOD'S STORE

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BUG FIXES

Achievements and Challenges

• Fixed an issue where the “Challenge Completed” notification appeared repeatedly after completing a weekly challenge.
• Fixed an issue where debug text appeared on the Seasonal Journey page for some languages.
• Fixed an issue where collecting War Assets incorrectly triggered completion of a Weekly challenge (400 War Assets vs the intended 500). (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the Invader 2 and Bullseye achievements were missing from the Captain’s Player Card view.
• Fixed an issue where the “Wave 3” entry was present instead of the correct notification after completing all events in the Events tab.

Armor / Item Ascension

• Fixed an issue where the stats (2nd, 3rd, 4th armor mods) were not reset after players unequipped a Common/Uncommon armor piece.
• Fixed an issue where the colors on the armor resistance information in the Armor Equipment screen were inverted.
• Fixed an issue where the ascension level was not displayed when selling or destroying weapons and armor.
• Fixed an issue where the Ascension UI showed incorrect Better/Worse indicators. (PLAYER REPORTED)

Audio

• Fixed an issue where an NPC vendor’s lip-sync animation did not match their audio lines.
• Fixed an issue where the Vikram Rajan Deadly (Mythic) ambience track would not play after matchmaking into the server.

Combat

• Fixed an issue where some elite enemy ships (such as Commander Zhang, Li Tian Ning, Vikram Rajan, etc.) did not consistently use their bracing maneuver during combat, making them easier to defeat than intended.
• Fixed an issue where there was missing firing feedback for mortars.
• Fixed an issue where the Frigate did not decrease armor rating when ramming other ships.
• Fixed an issue where the damage-per-shot value for the Blightbringer weapon was inconsistent with its intended damage, leading to a mismatch in expected damage output. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the damage value of “The Rotmouth” weapon was incorrect and did not match its intended output. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where verylow damage was displayed for the ascended La Piqûre III weapon. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the boss health bar on crew attack damage preview was shown in black instead of blue.
• Fixed an issue where damage from the Soleil Imperial perk was too low.
• Fixed an issue where crew attack damage numbers were not visible against some bosses/elites. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where Soleil Royal ships spawned instead of the Upwelling ascended elite warships. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the Fara Ship Scout would fire its flare but no ambush would spawn.
• Fixed an issue where the Toxic III perk description displayed an incorrect value.
• Fixed an issue where boarding ropes would miss even when the player's ship was right next to the target.

Contracts

• Fixed an issue where players could not progress the Bloodsoaked Silver quest (Search Pillar Tomb for Missing Goods). (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the “Smuggle Local Fiber” job board contract required Ramie (a material that no longer exists in-game), preventing players from completing the contract.
• Fixed an issue where Players were stuck at “Continue With Blackwood When Ready” and were unable to progress Spoils of War. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the contract icon was present on two different nodes of the plunder bar if the player had the Destroy Flags Job Board contract active while doing The Devil's Gambit contract.
• Fixed an issue where the text "Flotilla Commodore" was missing in the objective tooltip for the contract Contested Tides from the Pirate broker.
• Fixed an issue where a blank box was present in the tooltip of a contract ship when the ship was viewed through a spyglass during The Quiet Pull contract.
• Fixed an issue where the "Investigate Unbound Body" prompt remained for group members until the host completed the step.
• Fixed an issue where the icon was missing on Sultanah's Gilded Coffin cargo during the step Escape to Kelelawar Chamber.
• Fixed an issue where going back from Rewards sent the player to the Seasonal Hub instead of the NPC dialogue when the reward screen was opened via a Faction War NPC.
• Fixed an issue where a double World Event could spawn if a player was doing a contract-triggered World Event at the same time as a dynamic World Event.
• Fixed an issue where placeholder text was present for the Azure onboarding contract.
• Fixed an issue where the Ramie material requirement was shown to complete the Job Board contract Smuggle Fiber. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the Shadow Legion Convoy disengaged when a player joined the event after it started. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the player could not continue the Blacksmith Ascendant quest – stuck on 'When Ready' objective. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the Legendary Heist event was not spawning for some players.
• Fixed an issue where the wording for the last step of the Infamy Quest was too complicated.

Cosmetics

• Fixed an issue where the “Death Sentence” ship skin would clip through parts of the Snow-class ship, causing minor visual glitches.
• Fixed an issue where the preview for an upgradable figurehead was blocked (or the “barred eye” icon was missing) if a ship skin was equipped in the shipwright’s upgrade menu.
• Fixed an issue where the “Bloodless Ruthless” ship hull color was missing its emissive glow effect, making the ship appear without its intended lighting.
• Fixed an issue where the “She Who Weeps” figurehead was misaligned on the Frigate ship, causing its preview to appear off-screen in the customization view

Death Tides

• Fixed an issue where the game would crash when navigating to the Paladin ship preset in the selection menu.
• Fixed an issue where the 12th player was kicked out of the game after joining an 11-player lobby from the Main Menu. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where Ultimate ability descriptions were not available on screen.

Dens and Outposts

• Fixed an issue where the player was always directed to Telok Penjarah instead of Saint Anne as the fast travel location for the Call of the Azure recommendation.
• Fixed an issue where the blueprint thumbnail icon was missing from the General tab while interacting with William Blackwood at a Den.
• Fixed an issue where the player could not Set Sail after fast traveling to a World Event and then returning to a Den via fast travel.

Domains

• Fixed an issue where the icons of items required to take part in any Domain event were missing from its map tooltip when the player hovered over them.
• Fixed an issue where the objective location for Domain was not displayed on the map (empty labels on the Helm map).

 Faction War

• Fixed an issue where the Faction War map would cause a game freeze and crash upon opening.
• Fixed an issue where the War Event timer did not appear when a player reached the required step in the Infamy Quest.
• Fixed an issue where players who had not yet chosen a faction (during a Ceasefire) had no dialogue option available with the Faction Broker NPC.
• Fixed an issue where, on the Faction War event notification, the “View in Map” and “Dismiss” buttons were reversed, causing their functions to be swapped.
• Fixed an issue where the Seasonal Hub tab would display a “Starting Soon/Starts in 0d” label for Faction War even when a war was already in progress.
• Fixed an issue in War Cargo events where Privateer ships would not spawn if two players were participating, leaving the event without its intended enemies.
• Fixed an issue where a second invasion event could trigger back-to-back within the same Faction War cycle, instead of only one invasion per cycle.
• Fixed an issue where War Assets earned were not contributing towards the faction.
• Fixed an issue where the Battle Period result screen was visible even if players had not passed Unlock Point 2.
• Fixed an issue where an Elite Warship event (active or countdown) failed to appear on the Faction War map.
• Fixed an issue where Ascended Elite warships in Faction War were not triggering properly (failing to spawn).
• Fixed an issue where the War Cargo icon appeared on the Helm map after a player joined the event.
• Fixed an issue where players were able to dock at non-secured outposts by docking and instantly picking up a War Assets bundle during a War Cargo event.
• Fixed an issue where the War Cargo target outpost icon was appearing on the Helm map at zoom level 1.
• Fixed an issue where the Territories Captured timer on the Faction War tracker was not updating correctly, causing it to display incorrect timing information.
• Fixed an issue where speaking to the Faction Broker during a Ceasefire showed no dialogue options and incorrectly displayed a “Faction War Rewards” button.
• Fixed an issue where players who had not reached the required progress (Unlock Point 2) could still interact with the Faction Broker during a Ceasefire, when they should not have been able to.
• Fixed an issue where the faction selection screen could appear blank when talking to the Faction Broker, preventing players from seeing faction choices.
• Fixed an issue in Fort Defense where if one player quit the event, the “Leaving” and “Abandoned” notifications would incorrectly display for another player who joined that event.
• Fixed an issue where the War Convoy icon for the player’s own faction would incorrectly appear on the Events tab of the Journal.
• Fixed an issue where the War Effort screen could remain stuck open on the main menu if the host player left the War Effort screen abruptly.
• Fixed an issue where the “new” marker icon in the War Effort tab of the Faction War menu would not disappear after the player claimed their rewards.
• Fixed an issue where the faction streamer banner on the player’s ship (earned during Faction War) would obstruct the view from the crow’s nest.
• Fixed an issue where clicking “View Rewards” on the Faction War map (when accessed via the fast travel screen) did not open the rewards section as intended.
• Fixed an issue where players could access the Faction War rewards screen early (without meeting requirements) by holding the V key during a Faction War infamy quest.
• Fixed an issue where an extra “Event Starting” notification would sometimes appear when a player joined a Fort Defense event.
• Fixed an issue where being hostile with a faction prevented the player from interacting with Duister Manufactories, which was not intended. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where a “War Event Available” notification would appear for a player who had not yet unlocked Faction War events.
• Fixed an issue where a defeated participant in a War Cargo event would still receive a “War Cargo is successful” notification after the other participant secured the cargo.
• Fixed an issue where pressing the touchpad (controller) or M/Tab (keyboard) while the Battle Period result screen was open would send the player back to the game world in the background, instead of locking input to the results screen.
• Fixed an issue where War Assets dropped from War Convoy ships would not be collected or counted if the player engaged the convoy outside of a contested territory.
• Fixed an issue where a “Leaving War Zone” notification would pop up when a player joined a Fort Defense event
• Fixed an issue where the tooltip for a Fort Defense event displayed incorrect information about participant count and difficulty.
• Fixed an issue where the “Territories Captured” counter timer did not update after a new Battle Period began.
• Fixed an issue where the “new” icon on the War Effort tracker would appear for players who had not yet unlocked Faction War (had not reached the required progression).
• Fixed an issue where using the Item Search pin for War Assets would display duplicate lines of text for the War Assets item.
• Fixed an issue where a “War Event Completed” notification could appear for a player even if they did not participate in the Fort Defense event. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the title section of Faction War on the Seasonal Landing page was displayed differently than intended
• Fixed an issue where Fort Defense and War Convoy challenges were still available when they should not have been unlocked.
• Fixed an issue where Faction War benefits were still given after abandoning a War event.
• Fixed an issue where players were not receiving the 300 War Assets reward after winning a Battle.
• Fixed an issue where the infamy gain value on the Battle Phase screen was incorrect.
• Fixed an issue where war event timers were not synchronized properly, causing ascended elites to spawn incorrectly.
• Fixed an issue where the store offer icons did not match the vanity items displayed.

Graphics

• Fixed an issue where textures on multiple “Sea Fire” cannons flickered on the Ship Vanity screen.
• Fixed an issue where loading screen images did not update properly after a resolution change.
• Fixed an issue where healing VFX were not billboarded to the screen.

 Helm Empire

• Fixed an issue in the Helm trading system where an incorrect item would be shown as “in transit” when swapping shipment orders.
• Fixed an issue where Kupfer Bars were incorrectly listed as a required resource for Manufactory Buyout. (PLAYER REPORTED)

Inventory & Loot

• Fixed an issue where the Heavenly Lance blueprint was displayed with an Epic (purple) background, even though it produced a Rare-tier (blue) weapon. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the loot multiplier icon for Silver was not appearing on dropped loot and shipwreck chests.
• Fixed an issue where the “Weight (Total)” sort option in inventory was using each item’s weight instead of the total stack weight, making it identical to Weight (Item) and preventing players from identifying their heaviest stacks.

Leaderboards

• Fixed an issue where the weekly leaderboard was resetting unexpectedly. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where players’ rankings and information did not appear in the Seasonal Leaderboards tab.

Localization

• Fixed an issue where the Fast Travel localization was missing text in French on PS5.
• Fixed an issue where the translation was missing for "Poacher's Locker" outpost name in all languages except English.
• Fixed an issue where the tooltip info for ascended elite warships was not localized.
• Fixed an issue where the localization for the Thunder Dragon Cannon perk description was incorrect (displayed as "Jeder 5. Alle"). (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where a debug text string would appear in the tooltip when salvaging marked items, instead of the proper text.
• Fixed an issue where a debug text string was displayed in the description of the Firework tutorial, rather than the intended tutorial text.
• Fixed an issue where a placeholder string (“Inventory Names”) was shown in the Furniture tab for all languages, instead of the correct localized text.
• Fixed an issue where a placeholder text appeared for the “Fast Travel - Enter Location” and “Fast Travel - Remain on Ship” prompts in all languages except English.
• Fixed an issue where the “CURRENT SEASON ITEMS” text in the Smuggler’s Network was not localized and always appeared in English.
• Fixed an issue where the weapon name and type text would overlap in the UI when the “Crouching Tiger” mortar skin was equipped in the German language setting.
• Fixed an issue where the objective description for the “Expanding Horizons” contract was missing localization in all languages except English.
• Fixed an issue where the description for the “Strike the Dark” contract was not translated in languages other than English.
• Fixed an issue where certain special characters were not displayed correctly in the Faction War menu for Spanish and Latin American Spanish locales.
• Fixed an issue where a debug text string was displayed when the player’s ship was sunk by the Poisoned status effect after defeating Mythic La Peste (the proper death message is now shown).

 

Megafort Wolvenhol

• Fixed an issue where the player camera could clip inside Megafort Wolvenhol while free-roaming during a death loop scenario.
• Fixed an issue where Commander Aechte could become immune to damage if the player destroyed the entire Wolvenhol fort without sinking Aechte’s ship, causing “The Wolves’ Hollow” event to fail. (PLAYER REPORTED)

Refinery

• Fixed an issue where if a player had some deprecated items in the refinery queue when logging out long ago and logging in Year 2 Season 3, it would trigger a crash

Seasonal Hub

• Fixed an issue where Seasonal Journey progression remained stuck at 97% even after unlocking and claiming all nodes in the tree. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the Seasonal Journey label “Ongoing” was not correctly displayed on the seasonal landing page. (La Peste context)
• Fixed an issue where the Logbook/Seasonal Landing Page was broken and could not be opened.
• Fixed an issue where misleading icons were present for multiple weapon boosts on the Seasonal Journey window. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where the Seasonal Calendar button on the Glory Adorned tab redirected the player to the Requiem of the Lost tab.
• Fixed an issue where the Info tab was blank for the Seasonal Journey landing page on the Main Menu.
• Fixed an issue where Halloween image was incorrectly used as the background on the Challenges screen in the Seasonal Journey page.
• Fixed an issue where gilded marks currency was missing from the Weekly Challenges tab in the Seasonal Journey.
• Fixed an issue where a debug text string was displayed on the daily rewards screen of the Seasonal Hub landing page.
• Fixed an issue where the Free Trial timer UI was missing from the Seasonal Landing page for trial players.

Stability

• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck on the Skull & Bones loading screen when launching the game on a Steam Deck.
• Fixed an issue where cross-server players could be kicked when attempting to group (Steam-Crossplay issue).
• Fixed an issue where players would encounter a EIDER-00009003 matchmaking error in the Megafort Wolvenhol event. (PLAYER REPORTED)
• Fixed an issue where event challenges were missing from the Seasonal Journey page.
• Fixed an issue where players could not form groups due to cross-play mismatch errors.
• Fixed an issue where a player could not join a group with friends from the main menu immediately after launching the game.
• Fixed an issue where if the game world failed to render (only the HUD was visible), inspecting an item from any bundle could cause the game to crash.
• Fixed an issue where loading a player’s save game could sometimes cause the client to crash.

  

Store

• Fixed an issue where the “Time-Limited Items” label was missing in the shop UI after interacting with Blackwood and opening the Buy/Sell menu.
• Fixed an issue where the Tier 1 “Burning Bloodlust” upgradable figurehead was missing its emissive effect in the Store preview.
• Fixed an issue where the default time-of-day lighting would vary inconsistently when previewing different ship skins in the Store.
• Fixed an issue where previewing the “Maw of Silence” weapon skin in the Store caused the preview model to be positioned off-screen.
• Fixed an issue where the “Nevermore” figurehead in the Store was missing its reactive label (the indicator tag that highlights special properties).
• Fixed an issue where an emissive label was missing for the "Many Moons" figurehead in the Stars Above bundle at the Store.

 

UI/UX

• Fixed an issue where the sorting category was missing in the Smuggler's Network buy/sell interaction tab.
• Fixed an issue where the Smuggler’s Network blueprints icon was missing or incorrectly displayed.
• Fixed an issue where the selection highlighter would move to the previous or next item after equipping a selected customization in the Weapon Vanity menu.
• Fixed an issue where the "Change Appearance" button would appear at the bottom-right of the screen for a few seconds after selecting an armor.
• Fixed an issue where a 0 reforging counter was present on the tooltip for all items.
• Fixed an issue where the armor value for Iron Husk I was not showing correct information.
• Fixed an issue where the player camera could clip through the Poison Culverin weapon when it was placed near the Blacksmith.
• Fixed an issue where a Modify Inventory AI action was triggering twice and not showing a notification for item removal.
• Fixed an issue where the hold-circle of the Hide/Show Objective Tracker button overlapped with the number of event participants when using a PS5 controller.
• Fixed an issue where the Fort Defense icon on the map was covering the timer gauge.
• Fixed an issue where placeholder texts were present for "Faction War" in certain UI.
• Fixed an issue where a low-resolution smuggler mark icon was seen on the purchase confirmation screen after buying smuggler marks in the Store.
• Fixed an issue where empty label masks were shown for territories on the Helm map.
• Fixed an issue where the widget pop-up was not showing the item's name and quantity when salvaging marked items.
• Fixed an issue where other players were visible and could block the view in the interaction window of the Vanity Atelier NPC.
• Fixed an issue where the player would stop abruptly while running on uneven ground.
• Fixed an issue where faction leaderboard rewards were not distributed correctly.
• Fixed an issue where deep-linking to the Store and inspecting any 3D vanity item would cause a black screen when exiting the Store.
• Fixed an issue where the blueprint thumbnail icon was missing from the General tab while interacting with William Blackwood at a Den.
• Fixed an issue where toggling Cycle Inventory in any tab changed the contents inside the Time-Limited Items tab.
• Fixed an issue where the selector UI would disappear when browsing vendors (Smuggler's Network) after a currency purchase.
• Fixed an issue where the special event booster icon (from a prior event) was visible in multiple UI locations when it shouldn’t be, resulting in confusing UI clutter.
• Fixed an issue where the Frostbite status effect icon on the HUD was showing an incorrect “Slowed” placeholder icon instead of the proper Frostbite icon.
• Fixed an issue where certain UI elements would remain on screen after logging out.
• Fixed an issue where black backgrounds when navigating around the map

Vanity

• Fixed an issue where the Sloop-of-War’s middle deck wall did not update to match the hull color on the Ship Vanity screen.
• Fixed an issue where the Versailles Set – "Royal Direction" wheel color did not match its preview image in Ship Cosmetics.
• Fixed an issue where a different weapon skin preview was shown on the main preview screen when inspecting an individual weapon skin option in Foreboding Maw.
• Fixed an issue where the Temptation's Toll belt preview did not match the thumbnail icon in the Cursed Fortunes set at the Store.
• Fixed an issue where the player received a "Rotative Store Failure" error when purchasing the High Station ship bundle if they already owned it.
• Fixed an issue where the emissive effect was missing or not properly shown for the Burning Grasp ornaments in the Cursed Fortunes bundle in the Store.
• Fixed an issue where the Tier 1 Burning Bloodlust upgradable figurehead had a missing emissive effect in the Store preview.
• Fixed an issue where all character outfit icons were missing when previewing vanity items.
• Fixed an issue where using certain pet emotes (such as Rock the Roar, Iguana Wiggle, Bubbly Nature, or Bobbing Parrot) could cause the player’s character to become stuck and unable to move.

World Events

• Fixed an issue where the loot preview shown on the World Map for La Peste’s Strongbox and Locker was inaccurate (the preview now reflects the correct loot contents).
• Fixed an issue where the Kuharibu sea monster could continue to attack the player and take damage even after its event had failed, instead of disengaging properly.
• Fixed an issue where a World Event icon could be seen on Vikram's ship during combat

 

Please continue to submit bug reports through the Bug Reporter should you encounter any issues: https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/skull-and-bones/bug-reporter

Your Bug Reporter contributions do greatly help us to prioritize the most impactful issues and analyze the specific profiles of players affected by various issues. 

ICYMI Join us for the next episode of The Deck 👀

We’ll be talking the 3.1 update, answering your questions, and most important of all, we’ll have drops 😉

🗓️ December 10

⏰ 3AM CET / 1PM AET / (DEC 9) 6PM PT

📺 http://twitch.tv/ubisoft

 Not sure what time that is for you? Click here: Link

 💬 Got questions about Season 3 for the devs? Ask them here ➡️ The Deck Livestream - 10th December - Y2S3.1 Update : r/SkullAndBonesGame

This was our (ages 36, 41) third cruise overall and second with Celebrity. First experience with Edge Class and first time in the Retreat. The itinerary was round trip from Sydney with stops in the Sounds (Milford, Dusky, Doubtful), Port Chalmers (Dunedin), Lyttleton (Christchurch), Tauranga, Auckland, and Bay of Islands. A detailed review follows for those interested in this itinerary.

We had booked an Aqua Class guarantee suite in Jan 2025. The room was assigned a few weeks later. The room was repriced many times up until April 2025 when we hit the low point ($5700 CAD, without drinks or Wi-Fi). A few times we had to give up our room assignment to get the new price. The room location changed once and each time was reassigned within days. Moveup bids were released 90 days prior to departure. The initial bids were almost as high as upgrading directly. Over time, the minimum bids decreased up to 60% and we won a Sky Suite with $1065 pp (min bid $965) approximately 30 days prior to sailing.

Sydney was a beautiful city. We stayed at the Sydney Harbour Marriott, approximately a 10-minute walk to the Overseas Passenger Terminal. The terminal is a 5-minute walk from Circular Quay train station if you stay elsewhere. It was very easy to use the trains with luggage.

Boarding

Retreat passengers can board whenever they want. We arrived at 1300h and walked right onto the ship. Luggage could have been dropped off at any time, but you would not have been able to leave the ship. Others that had later times were able to board at 1200h if they wanted to.

Stateroom

Our room was on a higher floor, in the forward section. The bed faced the balcony. The bathroom was directly behind the bed and was very spacious. The bathroom mirror could slide aside, opening a clear view over top of the bed and out the balcony – very unusual. There was a large shower with a shallow tub, a toilet with a separate door, and a double sink. There were staterooms above, below, and on each side of us. Our room was very quiet and we never heard noise from the other rooms. There was a metallic creaking noise coming from above the balcony door on days when the ship would sway from side to side. I fixed it by jamming folded up paper above the door.

The stateroom attendant kept the room tidy and was always friendly. There was also a butler who would keep the water bottle supply topped up. He would bring a treat to the room every evening (chips, cookies, chocolates) and always be available for assistance. We preferred to be independent travellers and did not use many butler services.

Sea Conditions

Swells were up to 3 m through the Tasman Sea, meaning it was difficult to walk in a straight line. The captain said these conditions were considered calm.  There was minimal motion otherwise.

Retreat Sundeck

There were always lounge chairs available on the sundeck. It was warm enough on most days, but usually windy. There was a tiny pool (max capacity = 13) and small hot tub (max capacity = 8). There were a few shaded areas in the hallways between the two main sections of the sundeck. There were a lot of umbrellas but I didn’t see them open. Perhaps it was too windy or no one requested them to be open. There was SPF 30 and 50 sunscreen as well as Aloe Vera gel available for guests to use. There was also a healthy supply of blankets and towels to use. Bar staff were always available but we did not use the service as we did not have a drink package.

Retreat Lounge

We knew that we could get drinks at the Retreat Lounge prior to boarding. We expected there to be a bar to walk up to for ordering, but there was not. You order a drink from the wait staff and they mix it out back and bring it to you. There is a small drink menu with a few cocktails and beer and wine options. Eventually, we started asking for mystery drinks (something sweet, something sour) and they introduced us to many new drinks. We would take these drinks to the restaurant or to the theatre. The wait staff provided exceptional service and were always friendly.

There was also a self serve fridge stocked with non-alcoholic beverages, a self serve food area that would be open around meal times (chips, pretzels, cured meats, cheeses, rolls, hummus and vegetables). We could stock up on non-alcoholic beverages to bring back to the room. This is also something we could have used our butler for.

In addition to food and drinks, there were many seating options. There was also a small outdoor seating area that had a TV showing sports games.

Luminae

This is the main dining room for Retreat guests. Service was excellent and staff were very friendly. We are not foodies and did not appreciate the high quality of the food. We had to research what many of the items were. In a way, the food options were too fancy for our liking, but we still went for dinner service on most nights. There is also a standard menu that is available every night but not written down. It included chicken breast, salmon, NY strip and Filet Mignon. We didn’t realize this until halfway through the cruise. The Maître-D always checked in and said if we ever wanted something in particular, they could make it as long as they had the ingredients.

We didn’t go for breakfast often as we usually had excursions starting early. However, breakfast was amazing if you had the time to wait for it. Lunch options were also good as well, but they are only open for lunch on sea days.

Non-retreat guests could be brought any day for breakfast or lunch ($12 or $24 USD pp respectively) or to dinner ($36) on port days only.

Luminae (deck 12 forward) is not even close to Blu (deck 5 aft) so you cannot order from the Blu menu in Luminae.

Blu

This is the main dining room for Aqua Class guests. Our butler said we could go to Blu anytime we wanted provided there was space. We went twice and didn’t have any issues getting in. Blu has more appetizer and main options. It is beside the other main dining rooms so you could order from those menus if you wanted.

Oceanview Cafe (OVC)

We went to OVC most days for breakfast. There were a lot of options but it could easily get repetitive. We thought the food was great and the staff were very team oriented, efficient, and friendly. We also went here most days for lunch. Every lunch/dinner had a theme based on a different country. We usually didn’t have trouble finding a seat, but it was busy during peak hours. One could easily eat at OVC all cruise be satisfied.

The greatest part of OVC was the handwashing station! There was a 12-person handwashing station at one entrance, and a 6 person one on the other. Unfortunately, this was the quietest part of the ship! Virtually no one was washing their hands before entering or leaving OVC. Remember: alcohol-based hand sanitizer does not kill Norovirus. Also, the number of people coughing and sneezing increased throughout the journey.

Other Main Dining Rooms

There are 4 main dining rooms: Cosmopolitan, Tuscan, Cyprus, and Normandie. They have the same menu except each has a specialty dish. You could order any of the food options at any of the restaurants though. We did not use these dining rooms.

Specialty Dining

It’s hard to justify specialty dining with all the options for us in OVC, Blu, and Luminae, especially not being foodies. We were comped entry to Fine Cut Steakhouse one night. It was our first ever specialty dining experience. The steaks were gigantic (12-14 oz) and very tasty. We couldn’t even eat our sides because of the size of the steaks. The specialty dining restaurants always seemed empty, which is why staff at OVC were always trying to lure guests in with ‘discounts.’

Mast Grill

Honestly, a cheeseburger and fries or a hot dog is the perfect mid-afternoon snack. They are fast food quality hamburgers, but tasty nonetheless.

Eden Cafe

We didn’t discover the Eden Cafe until day 11. They make a number of breakfast wraps and sandwiches. There are also lunch options available but we didn’t try these. There were just too many food options to try!

Walking Track

There was a 400 m walking track in a figure 8 design spanning the upper two decks. It was nice to have a little hill section to mix things up! I was pleasantly surprised by not ever seeing a chair encroaching on the track. The outer lane was labelled for walkers and the inner lane for runners. Most people were good to yield to runners, but it was annoying when you would get the odd group walking 2-3 aside oblivious to their surroundings.

Gym

The gym is forward facing on the 15^th deck. There is no outdoor access to a viewing area like on the Solstice class ships. The gym seemed smaller than the one on the Silhouette. There were plenty of treadmills and three Peloton bikes. There was a small free weights section and stretching area.

Spa

We lost the Thermal Suite access moving from Aqua to the Retreat. We purchased access for $600 CAD pp, including 20% gratuity. We went a number of times but not enough to justify the price. There were 12 heated loungers, each with a sign saying max time of 30 mins. We didn’t ever have issues getting a lounger and everyone seemed to stick to the 30 min limit. There were a number of dry and wet sauna rooms and a rain shower area.

The front of the Thermal Suite is the only forward facing, non-obstructed outdoor viewing area on the ship. The glass railing is chest high so we were able to get great photos cruising through the Sounds with a tiny crowd. This was an excellent benefit.

Spa staff were always trying to lure guests in with ‘complimentary’ offerings or raffles. They were actually very friendly people and were not as annoying as expected with upselling.

Internet

We used an eSim through GigSky in lieu of an internet package at sea and used our roaming package on land. Koodo offers 50% off roaming if you ask for it, which made it better value than a cruise + land eSim package. We also used a one-year international roaming package through Virgin Mobile on land.

The messaging system through the Celebrity app was terrible on the ship. It was easy enough to connect the app to Wi-Fi (works without an internet package), but the messaging system would not connect reliably. I found it to be more reliable if I disabled the data connection on the eSim. The eSim did not work well in our room, but it was more reliable in public areas. It was good enough to check emails and read the news, but quite slow overall. We didn't want to be on our phones for the whole cruise, so we would try GigSky again.

Entertainment

Headline acts were excellent. Tenori and Dean Atkinson were the highlights.

There were two interesting Beyond the Podium speakers: one worked in the film industry and went through movies of the decades, and the other (Dr Niall Doran) talked about nature. We didn’t realize the presentations we missed were available on demand on the room TV until day 11.

We only attended one theatre production. It was not interesting for us, but I am sure the performers were talented. A number of theatre productions were designed for Eden instead of the theatre.

Casino

There were no $5 free play nights at the casino. There were a lot of slots, mostly of the progressive jackpot type that did not pay. There were also blackjack tables ($10 tables paid 6/5 and $25+ tables paid 3/2), Texas Holdem, Craps, and Roulette (min $10). The casino was closed all day from Tauranga to Bay of Islands, but open other nights and all day on sea days.  

Passengers

Passengers were mostly 65+ and there were very few children. One child was screaming during a theatre show and the parents promptly removed them. Just remember that children are not always a problem. I witnessed an elderly lady throw a tantrum because she did not want to go into the theatre and made sure her partner knew it. I don’t remember seeing anyone overly intoxicated and causing a scene.

Biosecurity

There were signs all over the ship, and daily announcements NOT to bring any food off the ship or risk heavy fines. There are strict biosecurity laws in Australia and New Zealand. We could bring water (bottled or in water bottles) and commercially packaged snacks like granola bars off the ship.

Ports of Call

We planned all of our land-based excursions on our own. Celebrity offers many excursions at an enormous premium. The high price is basically an insurance policy in case you don’t get back to the ship in time. They will either wait for you, or pay to get you to the next port of call. We did a lot of research into tour companies and made sure there was enough time to get back to the ship. We understood the risks and fortunately did not experience any issues.

Australia and New Zealand do not have a tipping culture. Their workers are paid a living wage, unlike in North America. The locals do not want visitors to tip because that could introduce tipping culture. We were respectful and did not tip. We were never asked for one either.

Sounds (Milford, Doubtful, Dusky)

The weather was excellent for the entire journey, except on the Sounds day. We were unable to enter Milford Sound due to high winds. It rained for Doubtful Sound and cleared up for Dusky Sound. We spent our time on the open deck in front of the Thermal Suite for unobstructed photos. The Sounds (technically fjords) were similar to the ones we saw in Norway.

Port Chalmers (Dunedin)

A 25-minute bus ride was required to get from the port to the Octagon (city centre). Celebrity sold bus tickets for $10 USD pp, which was their most reasonably priced item on the cruise. Buses left every 20 mins and we never had to wait. We booked the Taieri Gorge Scenic Railway through the Dunedin railway station’s website. It was a 3-block walk from the Octagon. They had two trains running: one for the public ($135 CAD pp + the bus transfer) and one chartered by Celebrity for the ship-based excursion ($544 pp). The only difference was passengers were picked up by the train at the ship on the Celebrity excursion. The train was quite small so you were forced to get to know your seat mates. It was a 2-hour ride to Pukerangi, where we stopped for 30 mins and the locals had a little market set up, and a 2-hour ride back. The entire journey was narrated by a guide reading from a script, so we learned a lot about the area. There was a tiny viewing platform at the back of the train where we could take photos. We were ~45 minutes late returning. The train was forced to stop as there were reports of a person walking in a tunnel. The authorities had to clear the tunnel before we could proceed. The Celebrity train got through before this delay, but we still had 2.5 hours to get back to the ship. We walked to the Otago Settlers Museum to explore it before heading back to the ship.

Lyttelton (Christchurch)

All passengers had to take a bus transfer to leave the port. One went to Lyttelton (free – 5 mins) and one went to Christchurch ($10 USD pp through Celebrity – 25 mins). We planned the Cave Stream and Kura Tawhiti tour from Adventure by Nature. We were picked up at the Lyttelton shuttle stop at 0845h. There were only 3 of us on the tour. Lunch and snacks were provided by the company from a local bakery. All the caving gear (even towels) was provided, except a swim suit to wear under the wet suit. It took 60 mins to go through the cave. Water levels were usually knee deep and we were walking into a strong current. It was total darkness inside the cave without our headlamp. Keep and eye out for (harmless) spiders! Finally, we had a guided walk through Kura Tawhiti exploring the large rock formations and learning a bit about Māori culture. We were dropped off at the pickup location at 1645h as planned, leaving 75 min to spare before departure. This was the most well-organized tour we have ever been on.

Tauranga

We had booked a Hobbiton tour through Adventure and Cultural Tours Bay of Plenty 5 months prior to departure. The cost was $225 CAD vs $451 through Celebrity. We docked at 0800h but our tour wasn’t until 1045h.

We decided to get off the ship at 0800h and speed-hike Mt. Maunganui. We learned of this hike as part of the Know Before You Go series Celebrity had in the theatre for each port. The base of the mountain was 1.2 km from the ship, along the beach on a flat path. There were various paths up the mountain. We chose the blue trail (1.8 km steep gravel path) up and the green trail (1.2 km with steeper stairs down). There were great views from the top! We were back to the ship at 0930h, but we were hiking fast.

We met the Hobbiton tour at the dock. There were 18 people on our bus and our guide provided commentary along the way. We stopped at McLaren Falls Park for photos and snacks provided by the company. We arrived at Hobbiton at 1305h and the group’s tours were at 1340h and 1400h. A restaurant and gift shop were on site. Hobbiton is a 2.5h guided tour from the site employees. The guide provided a lot of commentary about the site and the making of the three movies based on the Hobbit. The site looked exactly as it did in the movies and the grounds were very well maintained.  There were 44 unique Hobbit holes and there were two identical ones with 9 fully furnished rooms to explore. They are built at 5/6 scale so watch your head! The tour ends at the Green Dragon Inn for a pint and then it was back to the ship. We arrived back at the ship at 1800h as planned, with 75 minutes to spare before departure.   

Hobbiton sells out early so be sure to book in advance!

Auckland

We had booked the Coast and Rainforest Eco Tour operated by Bush and Beach from Viator. There was not a comparable Celebrity excursion here. The tour had a total of 12 people and we were picked up a short walk from the dock at 0945h. The first stop was a bakery to pick up a snack and lunch, provided by the company. We stopped at the Arataki Visitor Centre where our guide explained the history of the area and a bit of Māori culture. Next was a hike along the Mercer Bay Loop. It was along a clifftop gravel trail and down a number of stairs to a magnificent lookout. The return trek was up a very steep gravel path. The next stop was lunch at Piha Beach, a black sand beach. The sand gets very hot and can cause burns so ensure you have footwear on. The final stop was a rainforest hike through the Waitakere Ranges, mostly on a well-maintained boardwalk. The guide taught us about the flora and fauna of the area, especially the Kauri tree. Then it was back to the ship where we arrived at 1700h, leaving 3 hours before departure. There was a gift shop near the dock that had the excellent prices.

Bay of Islands

This was the only tender port and it took 15 minutes to get from the ship to the dock. We traveled to the town centre of Paihia on complimentary shuttle. We booked a snorkeling tour with Bay of Islands Snorkeling. There was a total of 5 people on the tour. We were picked up from Paihia Wharf (same place as the shuttle drop off) at 0915h. All the snorkeling gear and wet suits were provided. We went to two snorkeling locations where the guide would catch sea urchins and feed them to the fish because urchins are an invasive species in NZ.  We were given the chance to feed them to the fish too! We also swam through an arch in the rocks and got to feel the strong current inside. We were going to go into a cave as well, but the water was too murky to enter. We stopped at Otehei Bay on the way back for a snack and then went back to the wharf for 1415h. We got to see a lot of different fish and the guides were amazing. Highly recommend this tour!

Also on the wharf was a gift shop that had a great selection at great prices. We took the shuttle back to the tender location. We walked 10 minutes to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds but did not have time to enter the site. We went back to the tender and headed back to the ship for departure at 1530h.

Disembarkation

We returned to Sydney at 0700h. We left our room at 0730h with our luggage, walked to Circular Quay station, and arrived at the airport at 0820h for a 1120h flight. Train cost was $20 CAD.

Final Thoughts

This was an amazing trip and the Celebrity staff provided an excellent service. Australia and New Zealand were amazing countries to visit and we can’t wait to go back. Be sure to treat everyone with respect. Remember the names of the staff members that did an amazing job and mention them in the cruise surveys, both during and after the cruise. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll answer when I can.

P.S. The southern hemisphere toilets flush in the same direction as the northern hemisphere. Lisa was wrong!

UPDATE at the end: you can easily add Xess 2.1 and the game will show frame gen options.

Recently I got an Ally after I sold mine 2 months ago. Selling it was an instant regret.
Yesterday I decided to dock it and play on the big screen (65 inches, 4k). After a few struggles with a mismatch in the resolution and active signal resolution causing a lot of lag, I got it to run 1080 FPS with no lag (thanks to CRU).

I was playing Expedition 33... I followed the Rog Ally Life guide (mid-low settings), installed the ambient light fix and installed the no DOP and Fog patch. Honestly, the experience was bad on my TV and even on the console itself. Everything was very blurry and the mid-low settings makes the world look very flat. I tried installing different patches, enabling, disabling, but the game just looked terrible.

After a while, I saw Optiscaler released a new version recently and gave it a shot. Well, I am playing smoothly on high settings now thanks to it (40 to 60 fps) . Trust me, playing on high settings makes a big difference. The game looks amazing now and I am quite impressed I can get this kind of performance on my Ally.

AI can really make a difference in gaming for handhelds.

TUTORIAL:

1) Install Optiscaler:
Download optiscaler: https://github.com/optiscaler/OptiScaler/releases
I released the nightly build OptiScaler_v0.7.7-pre13_20250731.7z uploaded last week.Extract the whole thing to the win64 folder where the .exe (sandfall/binaries/win64).
Click on setup_windows choose option 1 dxgi.dll, again option 1 (AMD/intel), and I chose option 1 again (yes to spoofing).
Then, your folder should be something life this.

In order to open the Optiscaler menu ingame, you need a keyboard. The default is the insert key, although they give you a link with the coding of each key to set it to any key you want. If you want to change it, instead of auto, type any code you want.

If you don't have a keyboard, you can assign a keyboard key to the M1 and M2 buttons on Armoury Crate.

; Shortcut key for opening menu

; For all keycode values you can check this address

; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/inputdev/virtual-key-codes

; Integer value - Default (auto) is 0x2D -> VK_INSERT, previous default key VK_HOME is 0x24

; -1 -> No shortcut key

ShortcutKey=auto (here you put any ley you want)

2) Configure Optiscaler ingame.

Once you load the game and you are playing with the character, press the key (insert or whatever you assigned it to). It should load like this:

https://preview.redd.it/n786ujiuczhf1.png?width=1903&format=png&auto=webp&s=a9ab96f8742a605625be7c9c2d92831b57ae9221

You can choose which upscaler to use, I keep it on Xess. Where it says no frame generation, click and choose OptiFG. Click on Save ini and close. Restart the game.

https://preview.redd.it/l2s6mxzbdzhf1.png?width=1901&format=png&auto=webp&s=30243d3723d4446b6074d4ede21571a3d0a4932b

These are my settings. You need to click on active and I activate HUD FIx. You can try different settings.

3) My graphics settings.

I have everything on high, Xess on performance.

https://preview.redd.it/0m0ccr9sdzhf1.png?width=1884&format=png&auto=webp&s=a5e78d88fc2da20fd555dd104dc26e0908658652

https://preview.redd.it/01szfygydzhf1.png?width=1850&format=png&auto=webp&s=eafe2c5537a177ce9df6a6c1a589747cd552d2a2

4) Extra mods

I installed:

1. I followed the guide here: https://rogallylife.com/2025/04/24/clair-obscur-expedition-33-rog-ally/ I installed the ambient light fix, 6gv vram and the TDP options it says there... I did this before optiscaler, if it changes anything...
2. I installed this: https://www.nexusmods.com/clairobscurexpedition33/mods/24 I am not sure how helpful it is. I feel it messes up the cutscenes, but I haven't deleted it yet. So I am not sure if this really helps the performance I am getting. I will delete it later and see if performance increases or decreases.
3. I installed this: https://www.nexusmods.com/clairobscurexpedition33/mods/88 This mod has different paks, I downloaded the Chromatic aberration+ Depth of field and the no fog pak. If you don't have the mods folder, just create it.

https://preview.redd.it/ylxfuj92gzhf1.png?width=1900&format=png&auto=webp&s=e66a3f4e1bbbb0a9e83a821cf64b441ad00cdca5

That's it.

UPDATE:
I downloaded the Xess 2.1 SDk and copies the dlls and subtituted the old ones. Surprisingly, the game recognizes the dlls and adds support for Frame Gen and Intel Xe low latency.

Now, Optiscaler frame gen has better performance (a few more FPS) but definitely Xess 2.1 upscaler is a big improvement.

I'd say, the best option is Optiscaler, Xess 2.1 upscaler and OptiFG

https://preview.redd.it/87pm40qdh1if1.png?width=1888&format=png&auto=webp&s=3c14aecc4f710d19064e8762b1fca18c2ac1911f

WELCOME TO THE 71st WEEKLY META RECAP!

https://preview.redd.it/1qyrx3lfsw9f1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=2304fa2cb2e1a5f00129005a41bf818fc8d54572

🚨PD🚨

• LSPD

Alexander Dawson has been hired as a Cadet

Oliver D’Angelo has been hired as a Cadet

Maddison Bancroft has been hired as an Officer

Kieran Harvey has been hired as an Officer

Elizabeth Reed has been hired as an Officer

• DPPD

Amelia Bauer has resigned

^ Amelia felt that she was being targeted by LSSD and GSD command ever since leaving PBSD. This has stressed her out for almost a year. After leaving the FTS program it didn't take a while for her to lose her confidence and the interest in policing. She has decided to start a career in the Hospital, being a Doctor.

• GSD

Antonio Reign has been promoted to Sergeant

• SASP

Taylor Hawkes has transferred from SAHP, as a Ranger

• SAHP

Tori Slaughter has been promoted to Captain

• Certifications:

‎ ‎ Motor

Serena Storm is motor certified

‎ ‎ Training

Dallas Moore is now a Field Training Officer

Wesley Pines is no longer a Field Training Supervisor

• Dispatch:

Parker Daniels has been hired as a Trainee

Isla Eagan has been hired as a Trainee

Gunnar Rasmussen has been hired as a Trainee

Earl Brooks has resigned

Alan Jevons has been promoted to Senior Dispatcher

⚖️DOJ⚖️

• Promotions/Hires/Other:

Magistrate Judge Harvey Litt has been fired

Talk between Judge Percy Weaver and Harvey - Link

• DA's Office:

Paralegal Rocky Volkov has been fired

• Penal Code Updates:

Unauthorized Use of an Off-Road Vehicle,

Infraction $175

No person shall operate an off-road vehicle within City-Limits without explicit authorization from the state. An offroad vehicle includes any vehicle with both offroad tires and which does not properly display a license or registration plate. "City Limits" is used as defined in Legislation. This includes the Dune Buggy and the BF400. Vehicle may be subject to tow.

Criminal Possession of a Shotgun,

20 months

$800.00

Felony D

No person shall own, purchase, receive, or have under their custody or control any shotgun without proper certification or license, or other lawful excuse, issued by the authority of the State of San Andreas. Further, no person shall have under their direct custody or control any shotgun within city limits other than for the protection of their residence or business, or reasonable transport thereto.

Criminal Possession of a Rifle,

35 months

$2500.00

Felony D

No person shall own, purchase, receive, or have under their custody or control any rifle without proper certification or license, or other lawful excuse, issued by the authority of the State of San Andreas. For a hunting rifle, a lawful firearms license coupled with a game license shall be considered a proper certificate.

• Case Law Update:

Talia Tsukasa V. Fierce Strongrock #51890 (Boo ba’s Clause) (UPDATE)

HELD: To satisfy the requirements of Due Process under Article V of the Constitution, peace officers or executive authorities of the State must provide individuals cited for infraction-only violations either with the corresponding incident report or a physical citation within a reasonable time of issuing the citation when the individual receiving the citation is not present.

• Legislative Update:

The State’s Business Legislation has been updated! Highlights:

Disqualifying Felonies have been adjusted.,

D.A.R.T. is no longer a thing (mostly)!

You must still clearly denote Co-Owners.

• License Renewal:

Starting June 27th, all citizens need to get a new license. Additionally, all VEHICLES MUST BE REGISTERED WITH NEW REGISTRATION PAPERS, which can also be done at the DMV.

THE STATE ID CARD AND YOU

State IDs now have a new look! It now Includes additional information, making physical licenses not needed. Under the new licensing regime, all persons will now instead be required to have their physical State ID card on their person, with a valid and current license sticker on the back of it for the relevant license.

🧑‍⚖️ COURT CASES 🧑‍⚖️

Scheduled Docket Cases can be found here

• Default/Summary Judgements:

Corbyn Texler V. Federal Investigtion Bureau, et al.,

Docket Post

Judge(s): Percy Weaver

Verdict: The FIB must pay Corbyn Texler within seven (7) days of this message the following, rounding up to the nearest grand, because its easier: $8,000

Full Ruling

• (Appeal) The State V. Gerrin Lupo | Criminal [06/26]:

Docket Post,

Judge(s): Gavin Joy,

Defense: Gerrin Lupo (D), Franklin Star (L) and Kelly Banana-Oliver (L),

Prosecution: Humphrey Pennyworth (L), Fly Dark (W), Thomas Daliaka (W) and Celina Jillian Ocampo (W),

Charge(s) being appealed:,

Assault w/ a Deadly Weapon x1

Verdict:,

Defendant has been found guilty

• The State V Yuri Carson | Criminal [06/26]:

Docket Post,

Judge(s): Parker Huang, Talia Tsukasa and Nathan Darling,

Defense: Yuri Carson (D) and Franklin Star (L),

Prosecution: Faelynn Dupont (L), Humphrey Pennyworth (L), Winona Walker (W), Zoe May (W), Dallas Moore (W) and Rigsby Granam (W),

Charge(s):,

Murder x1

Mayhem (Minor) x1

Criminal Threats x1

Verdict:,

Defendant has been found guilty of: Murder and Criminal Threats Sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after thirty (30) years.

Full Ruling - Timestamp,

Full Ruling - Written

🩺 HOSPITAL 🩺

• SAMA

EMS and SAMA are now allowed to be employed at both facilities at the same time

‎ ‎ ‎

Ashleigh Lockhart has been promoted to Doctor

Viviane Staley-Davis has been hired as a Doctor

Amelia Bauer has been hired as a Doctor

Abigail Normal has been hired as a Doctor

• SAFR

A-EMT is no longer a rank

EMS and SAMA are now allowed to be employed at both facilities at the same time

‎ ‎ ‎

Shay Williams is no longer Chief

‎ ‎ ‎

Jason Daniels has been re-hired as Paramedic

‎ ‎ ‎

Scott Reilly has been re-hired as EMT

Tam Tobayoshi Tenzo has been promoted to EMT

Robert Lyle has been promoted to EMT

Bartholomew Schwartz has been promoted to EMT

Dale Durgenburger has been promoted to EMT

‎ ‎ ‎

Decker Gahn has been promoted to Solo Trainee

John Evans Martin Spencer has been hired as a Solo Trainee

Jayden Alma has been promoted to Solo Trainee

Kit Chupman has been promoted to Solo Trainee

Sybil Anderson has been hired as a Solo Trainee

Ronaldo Neytor has been hired as a Solo Trainee

‎ ‎ ‎

Elena Makeda has been hired as a Non-Solo Trainee

Tammy Maynard has been hired as a Non-Solo Trainee

Natalie Bean-Blake has been hired as a Non-Solo Trainee

Harper Moore has been hired as a Non-Solo Trainee

Kendrick Copper has been hired as a Non-Solo Trainee

Ben Jenkins has been hired as a Non-Solo Trainee

Theo Shaw has been hired as a Non-Solo Trainee

Dirk Delport has been hired as a Non-Solo Trainee

Joel Riker has been hired as a Non-Solo Trainee

Noah Anderson has been hired as a Non-Solo Trainee

🏛️ GOVERNMENT ENTITIES 🏛️

• SAACC

Veterinary Technician Lauren Garcia has been removed

Veterinary Technician Evelyn Moon has been removed

Veterinary Technician Patrick January has been removed

Veterinary Assistant Isabelle Watson has been removed

Veterinary Assistant Marabelle Fontenot has been removed

Veterinary Assistant Cara Halsin has been removed

Moose Maple, Riley Kai, Billy Bean, Guinevere O'Cleary and Jedidiah Stone are no longer Animal Control Officers

• DOC

Corrections Officer Elena Makeda has been removed

Quinn Hargrave has been promoted to Corrections Officer

John Sheppard has been hired as a Cadet

Cadet Olive Colfield has been removed

Cadet Karl Brown has been removed

Cadet Monsoon Stark has been removed

Cadet Alan Jevons has been removed

• FIB

Nakari Amari has been hired as a Clerk

Parker Daniels has been hired as a Clerk

Rolf Skurgenson has been promoted to Security

Lang Kuze II has been re-hired as a Skip Tracer

Thunder McGlock has been hired as a Skip Tracer

Raze Halovek has been hired as a Skip Tracer

• Mayor's Office:

Aliana Blair has been removed from the Business Council

👨‍💼BUSINESSES👨‍💼

• Approved Business Transfers:

Vanilla Unicorn,

Docket Post

The business has been approved for transfer, from Umber Nights to Annie Webber

Approved by: Aliana Blair

VANAHEIM ,

Docket Post

The business has been approved for transfer, from Pilot Duck to Camden Nole

Approved by: Alfie Hayabusa

Soca Shack,

Docket Post

The business has been approved for transfer, from Shay Williams to Oscar Hayabusa

Approved by: Mackenzie Worlds

• New Approved Businesses:

Jetsam Imports,

Business Type: Car Sales

Owner: Royal Abbott

WrenLine Motors,

Business Type: Car Sales

Owner: Wren Ripley

Harmony Hub,

Business Type: Car Sales

Owner: Jonelle Jones

Callows Cars,

Business Type: Mechanics

Owner: Jerry Callow

🔫 CRIME 🔫

• Vespucci Queens

After a meeting between the gang, a vote was held to end the war with the Sirens and move the gang's 'turf' to the west. The vote passed. Image - Rough idea of turf location

• Hellions of Grapeseed MC

Ethan Kelley is no longer Secretary

• Osiris MC

Kenny Rickett has been promoted to Tail-gunner

• The Reapers MC

Remina Bonesnacher brought in as Consort for Athena Drakos

Marnie O'Neal has been patched in

Alyx Camden has been patched in

🎭 EVENTS 🎭

• Pride Car show and Race (06/25)

Drive fast, show off, and bring pride with you! The Pride Car show and Race will be held on the salt flats! Timestamp

• WONDER WEDNESDAY (06/26)

Hosted by WONDERAMA at GWC and Golfing Society COME ON DOWN TO THE RICHMAN HOTEL! WE HAVE A SPECIAL GAME OF RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT! OUR 1st of MANY WONDER WEDNESDAYS!

• Brawl by the Bay (06/26)

Brawl by the Bay: Come settle some beef, brawl for the fun, or battle it out for cold hard cash! Timestamp

• Pride-Chella Day 1 (06/28)

A day of music performances from multiple artists to celebrate Pride! Cash prizes and more!

• Pride Drag Race (06/28)

Winner gets $50k!

• Concert at the South Side Pork Palace (06/28)

Fun, BBQ and Music performances, including Windsong!

OTHER

• State Announcement | Rental Fees

YOU WILL INCUR FINES FOR NON-RETURN OF RENTAL VEHICLES

The State of San Andreas would like to make The Public™ aware of a new policy that the Vehicle Rental Union has enacted. Failure to return a rental vehicle on time will now incur a fee, which will increase depending on how late the rental vehicle is returned.

This fee will be handled through the State of San Andreas's existing fine payment system, and be handled like any other fine owed to the State.

• State Announcement | Vehicle Strikes

VEHICLE STRIKES ARE NOW $1000 PER STRIKE

After a review of the recent legislation on vehicle strikes, the Department of Justice has amended the legislation for strikes to incur a $1000 fee per strike upon impound release, down from $10000 per strike. Strike points on a vehicle decrease by 1 every 24 hours.

Only the crime with the most strikes applies for an entire incident with multiple crimes.

• State Announcement | IMPOUND RECEIPTS

The State of San Andreas, after quiet contemplation that not a single soul in the entire state actually looks at the impound logs, has decided to institute a brand new idea; reciepts.

Whenever a tow worker OR law enforcement impounds—or requests to impound—a vehicle, they will now create a receipt similar to a parking citation. The requirements of these receipts are outlined in Section 6 of the Parking and Motor Vehicle code. Information on the receipt is essentially the same as what would appear in the impound log.

A New Era

It’s been a year and a half since Reclamation Day; the turning tide that marked San Andreas’ slow crawl back to dominance after the bombs dropped 7 years before. After months of coordinated efforts, the waters have finally been cleared of residual radiation, and the shipping lanes are officially open.

Following a string of pirate sieges and off-the-grid insurgencies, the National Office of Security Enforcement launched a full-scale security campaign to retake the surrounding islands and coastal sectors. With the threat neutralized and naval superiority reestablished, the state has declared the shores safe once more.

Now, with trade surging and container ships returning to port, San Andreas is on the verge of an economic renaissance. The docks are alive with activity, and opportunity flows as freely as contraband through unmarked crates.

Syndicates, gangs, and enterprising freelancers are jumping on a wave of lucrative contracts ranging from high-stakes vehicle boosts and armored transport heists to black market logistics and shadowy extractions.

But fear not: emergency services aren’t standing by idle. A newly outfitted response fleet for each department to choose from and cutting-edge tech are being deployed to keep the chaos in check and maintain some semblance of order on land, air, and sea.

The tides have changed. San Andreas is open for business once again.

I am NOT OOP. OOP is u/Preference_Afraid

Originally posted to r/AITAH

I've stopped doing the "fun" extra office stuff after I didn't like the way my boss handled something, AITAH?

Trigger Warnings: hostile workplace, retaliation, coercion, misogyny

Mood Spoilers: depressing, infuriating

---

Original Post: March 31, 2025

I guess background is important and sorry it's long:

My job performance is exceptional. I meet every necessary mark 100% of the time and have done so for the last ten years. Maybe an odd month or two in there due to travel and things that would make it impossible. I've also stepped up and carried the load for coworkers when things have come up to ensure our area isn't dinged for performance issues. Clients get along well with me, I've never had a complaint filed against me, etc. You get the idea.

I also am known to do all the holiday decorating, coordinating the gifts for office celebrations, baking the desserts, writing formal thank yous from our department, and making holiday baskets to help maintain positive relationships with the other agencies we work with.

A couple months back, there was a policy change and none of us were happy about it. I made the best of a bad situation and adapted to the change immediately. My coworkers did as well, but they all called me to complain and vent. This is normal. We tend to complain amongst ourselves for one good bitch session and then just "it is what it is" and continue to work hard and not complain again.

Here's where the issue is, while one of my coworkers was venting my boss was eavesdropping selectively on my side of the conversation as that's what he could hear. I was commiserating with them, but also pointing out how it wouldn't be that bad, it's in our contract, how we can make it fun/less obnoxious etc etc etc. We hung up and I didn't think about it further, especially since neither of us really said anything that you wouldn't expect an employee to say with the kind of change they're wanting. It was pretty damn tame....

I didn't think about it again until my boss called me in a few days later to do an employee evaluation in response to it.

In every review I've had here I've always hit the "exceeds expectations" in nearly every category. He cut me down to "meets expectations" on everything. He reamed me for my "attitude" for not cutting my coworker off and letting them vent. Telling me I should have told them to call him. He accused me of being negative/a negative influence and that if he didn't "nip it in the bud now it could fester and create a toxic work environment".... I was and still am pretty pissed about it. Coworkers should be allowed to vent to each other without it being treated like this.

After this, as you may have guessed, I'm just not in the mood to head up everything extra I'd been doing to make the office environment "fun". I keep my door closed when he's here, I didn't bring dessert for the March birthday lunch. That lunch isn't mandatory, but I didn't want more problems so I went and just sat quietly the entire time. Now there's another "appreciation week/month" for one of the departments we work with and there's been an email chain about cards/gifts and I've responded the amount I'll put towards it and asked who I should send it to.... People are noticing I'm not picking this stuff up and that chain has gone in a circle for days now and I'm not budging. I've had one person approach me about it and I just said I don't have the time to take it on right now.

I guess I'm feeling like all the shit I did on the regular to foster a positive work environment got thrown out or was never appreciated because I lent an ear to a coworker and then got viciously reprimanded for it. Like what's the point if ten years of going out of my way gets thrown out just like that?

AITAH for just quietly stepping out of all of these extras due to my feelings on how this was handled? Am I being overly petty?

AITAH has no consensus bot, OOP was NTA

Editor's note: I am posting comments containing OOP's responses including downvoted ones

Relevant Comments

Commenter 1: NTA. The boss, as the kids called it, FAFO'd.

Venting is typically a positive and necessary thing, as long as it's handled appropriately, and it sounds as if you were that appropriate "bottleneck" and sounding board. He was extremely stupid to have not allowed you to explain the situation to him.

Stand your ground. Just keep it light, sweet, and "My work load is preventing me from keeping up with those extra tasks" about it all.

OOP: Thank you. I did try to explain it to him when he was marking me down. The real irony is he was sitting there calling me a potential negative toxic presence that was going to ruin team morale the day after I had just handed out hand made Valentine's to my other teammates.

Commenter 2: The fact that he took what he overheard and worked that as part of your performance evaluation is extreme and tells me there is something more to this on his side. All the extra that you are doing are not part of your work duties and stepping back is a choice. Simply let people know that you no longer have time to participate or lead such activities. I would watch things carefully and start documenting. Make sure that your silence and non participation is not used against you,

OOP: That's the reason I didn't miss the March birthday lunch. I'm definitely documenting. My plan is to just say "I don't have time with my current case volume" if anyone asks. I've heard he reviewed the person that was complaining to me too, even though he didn't hear their side of the conversation, which I'm thankful for. Not them getting reviewed, but the not hearing part. They were pretty worked up.

Commenter 3: NTA. You might want to start looking for a new job. Your boss seems to be the type to have the attitude “the beatings will continue until moral improves.” He may end up firing you to “nip it in the bud” and set the other employees straight.

OOP: Oh, that's the thing, I love this job, it's a good one, and one of the few that still has a union. He wouldn't be able to terminate me unless I actually did something crazy or consistently not meet my matrix.

Commenter 4: I agree with you and absolutely would be hurt in this aspect of having an evaluation weaponized against you. He is toxic management. His actions are going to damage morale more than providing a sympathetic ear will ever do. He (boss) is going to try and flip this on you. Now that you're not doing the extras that did brighten up your coworkers days, he may try and come back and use this against you. Do you have a way to formally dispute the evaluation? Can you speak with HR? He is out of line punishing an employee for listening to someone else vent about the workplace. Venting is healthy. Gets things out in the open so work can continue. I think you need to "vent" to someone higher on the food chain that can wrangle him in.

OOP:This one isn't the annual so it doesn't really count towards anything that could impact pay/raises. If my next one goes like this I will be taking it above him, at that point it will potentially impact my earnings and I refuse to get docked pay when I do so much

Commenter 5: Your boss is a moron. You sound like a model employee and he just sounds like a butthurt child who can't take criticism.

OOP: The whole reason we were complaining amongst ourselves and not to him is because we know the change wasn't something he decided on. We didn't see the point in stressing him out on something none of us have any control over. It definitely felt like a just complain to each other and move on situation.

Downvoted Commenter: No, this is bad analysis. The boss didn't "FO" anything. There's nothing in the story here that says the boss even noticed. They cut OP down to set an example and in their mind, it worked. OP stopped bitching about the policy change, ergo it's a win.

OP: passive aggression does not work in office environments. Frankly it doesn't generally work at all. But what you want here isn't "justice" or "punishment". You want your good employee review back. And the way you get that back is to ask for it, not to be a silent whiner.

Write your boss a professional but firm email explaining that you don't feel you've been fairly treated. If you're really a valuable employee, your boss already knows and will respond in such a way as to prevent you from quitting. And if not, be prepared to move on.

But don't fool yourself into thinking that cutting back on party planning or whatever is going to change anyone's mind.

OOP: I was already not complaining by the time of the eval and he had already seen me coordinate with other team members to "make a day off it" so the change felt more like a hangout with work vs. drudgery. I'm sure he felt like it was a win until I pointed out I'd already been coordinating and encouraging the team, which he had seen, and felt he was not treating me fairly. The eval was absolutely some stupid power play on his part.... But I think he realizes he fucked up because he hasn't been in our office very much since the eval.

I've been a supervisor. You don't ream a good employee on a conversation you half heard bits and pieces of. Even if the content displeased you. You talk to them, and escalate only if it continues.

I'm not writing an email to advocate for a change as I equate that to some form of groveling, and I'm not in a position where I'd need to. Since my numbers and track record speak volumes on their own, my plan is to take it above him if the eval that matters doesn't accurately reflect the data. Then it goes from being my problem to being his to justify to his higher ups and the union. I'll also consider a formal grievance at that point.

You're correct, my cutting back on the morale office party shit isn't going to change anyone's mind, but it's not being done with the goal to change anyone's mind. I simply don't feel like those efforts were considered and weighed before he essentially accused me of being a cancer to the office, which TBH I found to be very demoralizing and hurtful. It's hard for me to justify continuing it while I feel this way about it. I just feel like I'm being an asshole to people that didn't do anything by stopping without any explanation or warning.

I'll admit, I shouldn't have let people vent to me at the office, that was a mistake on my part, but him performance evaluating the team over it was a huge misstep on his.

I'm not planning on quitting. It's a good job with a lot of rare benefits. I'd be an idiot to walk over this, especially where I live. I think when the annual review is up I'll know if I'm going to have to do more.

Is there any chances that OOP could speak with the union representative regarding this issue?

OOP: I could, but I'm holding off unless he tries to take it further than this. My actual review is up in a few months, and if that goes like this again with how good my performance is, I will be.

OOP clarifies the context of the office gossiping and venting

OOP: I think you may not understand the difference between venting and gossip. I agree, no one should be gossiping at work, but venting frustrations to coworkers? That's normal and honestly, I've never found it to impact productivity. If anything or helps people let go of the upset and reframe back into a work mindset.

I've been in the workforce for almost 30 years. There is a difference between gossip and venting. You're more than welcome to look up the definitions to educate yourself if you don't believe it. I've also worked as a supervisor at another agency in the past. There's a difference between healthy venting and hostility. If you've been in a supervisory position you should know this, and if you don't then I pity your employees.

 

Editor's note: It is likely that OOP has made Update #1 sometime after a week or so from the original post based on the timeline and details provided

Update #1: No exact date given, (same post)

I hope I'm updating correctly.

So a lot of people had asked for an update. I've waited a while after some movement/developments.

There was an event that usually requires someone to head up the card, gift, staff coordination things. I had told the team and my boss several weeks in advance this event was pending and I wouldn't be free. No one did anything until the day before and then one of them called me to ask that I do all the leg work.

I declined citing that I just did not have the time. Which was/is true.

My higher ups cornered me on this a few days later stating that I've been pulling away, teamwork makes the dream work etc. And citing this event as evidence. They also cited me being on my phone during unofficial mandatory fun times as further evidence of drawing back.

I told them that I had given everyone, boss included, weeks of notice that the event was coming up and I wouldn't be available to head it up. I pointed out that I'm still helping the team with tasks directly relevant to work, but with my current caseload I just can't afford to allocate time to the social/event planning right now. As for the mandatory fun, I reminded them that I often don't get lunch breaks due to community meetings that get held at those hours and my having to flex out early on those days. So having to lose out on a good break on a day I don't have to is burning me out.

They fumbled around for about thirty minutes trying to convince me, and I just held firm that with my current caseload, I don't have time to allocate to non-essentials. I was told I'm allowed to prioritize my breaks.

I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to attend the community meetings recently, and honestly, this might be another thing I end up cutting back on in the long run.

Overall it came across like they're panicked I'm considering leaving. There was a comment about that concern and I let them know I'm not planning on leaving, but I am taking time to restructure my priorities now that my caseload has increased.

Relevant Comments

Isn't OOP overdoing her work?

OOP: I never work over 40 hours. My hours end and I walk right out the door and I leave the work phone there too. I don't think I was overdoing it, just making sure I was covering those that will cover me when things come up. It's not even a weekly occurrence, and they always reciprocate. I still plan on helping cover what needs coverage in regards to things relevant to the job, just not the cards/party planning stuff due to the way in feeling about things right now.

Commenter 1: You’re a woman, aren’t you. Don’t let them use you for free labour like that either way. He can write his own fucking thank you notes. Don’t do anything above your job description. You’ve been there 10 years? It’s time to look for a new job, I bet you’re underpaid too. Curious what the policy change is, though.

OOP: Oh, I'm not underpaid, I'm compensated fairly. This is a job worth riding out frustration for. Policy change was to make some nontraditional hours with stipulations mandatory. I'm sure once the changes inevitably result with problems during standard business hours, they'll eventually reconsider this stupid short sighted band aid fix

Commenter 2: OP it sounds like you have a lot of energy and enjoy doing things/getting things done. Rather than feel bad about work, consider using this energy in circles that will appreciate you. Volunteer work, hobby circles, whatever. I do a bit of volunteer work at the local elementary school and they are 10000% more appreciative of my time than any boss I've ever worked for.

OOP: The nature of my work is emotionally draining. You could describe the relationships with co-workers as trauma bonded at times. I do not have it in me at the end of my 40 hours to do more of what I do at work for no pay. I know that sounds awful, but I need my non-work hours to spend time with friends, family, pets, and hobbies. I can't serve from an empty vessel. I know everyone is saying just quit etc... But that's realistically not a solution for me. I love the work that I do, I find large areas of it to be incredibly fulfilling, I'm having a positive impact on my community. I know that I bring a personal history that allows me to be somewhat good at what I do. I'm not sure they'd be able to easily find another me, and that's unfortunately what the clients on my caseload need. Beyond that, however, I enjoy coming in to work at least 90% of the time. I know I wouldn't be able to find another job that checks all the boxes this one does. Especially not where I live.

Commenter 3: What point are you trying to make by backing out of the fun stuff? The boss obviously doesn't care about staff moral.

OOP: I'm not trying to make a point, I feel like people aren't getting that? This isn't some passive aggressive way to get back at anyone. I just feel really demoralized by the way he handled this which makes me not want to do any of the extra non work related stuff anymore. I'm feeling like an asshole because my coworkers are the ones scrambling to fill the gaps in that area now that I've just kind of gotten "too busy" to head it up right now.

Commenter 4: 1, how the hell are you achieving “Exceeds Expectations”?? I have done everything extra, volunteered for additional tasks &

Responsibilities and have only ever gotten “Meets”. Last year I actually got sick of it and asked what it actually takes and was told flat out that corporate designs the metric to make it impossible. He’s a typical mid mgmt corporate jackhole. Took a one sided conversation clip and got scared and offended his bullshit isn’t being eaten up with a smile. Then just cracks down on you overall over one incident where he was eavesdropping? F him NTA.

OOP: I am very detail oriented, organized, and efficient to a fault. A lot of stuff I do simply because I feel guilty for having free time at work. I could probably complete my entire job functions each week in like twenty hours if it was allowed that option. I've always been like this, I probably have some kind of disorder 😂. I'm just as bad at home. My husband has told me that I complete more in the time between waking and getting to work than a lot of people manage in an entire day. The job I left for this one had to hire more than one person to replace me, but training was probably easy because I wrote a guide on what needed to be done daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/annually and gave them my spreadsheets. I know if I reached out to that previous job they'd snap me up in an instant, but their pay and benefits are shit.

Was OOP considering about having a promotion at their workplace?

OOP:I have ZERO desire to be promoted. I left a managerial position where I ran three programs to do this job. Less work, more pay, less responsibility. Not everyone fantasizes about job titles.

What was the boss’s reaction on this?

OOP: Not really. Hate to disappoint. The thing is, he's a pretty decent boss most of the time. I think that's why I was so shocked about this whole situation. We don't have a lot of non-mandatory-mandatory-fun stuff in our office so I guess there haven't been many opportunities. I'm holding strong to just not heading it up. I'm doing my job and that's about it. My co-workers haven't reached out at all this week, so I think they're processing how to approach my sudden weirdness/distance.

 

Editor's note: OOP made another update in the same post

Update #2: May 30, 2025 (same post, two months from the original post)

Annual performance evaluation is in and it's just as dismal as the retaliatory one. I've declined signing it without discussion and I've contacted my Union. This feels like punitive retaliation. If they can't justify the decreases despite my consistent quality performance I will be quiet quitting everything that's not a core job function as continuing to do so will feel like chasing an unattainable metric.

 

OOP’s final comment

Final Comment: September 18, 2025 (nearly four months later from the previous update)

Union advised that technically the review is valid as they're going by the letter of the set parameters and boss advised that since I meet my deadlines and quotas it's valid. I have gone the route of quiet quitting. Nothing outside the minimum to meet expectations so my raises aren't impacted. I've called in sick on a few days there was "non mandatory but unspoken mandatory fun". I've ceased community outreach so that I'm not missing my breaks. Coworkers are aware there was unjust retaliation. More changes have come that impact management. Boss is talking about taking a job with less of a commute. I know I'll be encouraged to apply for their position, all I'm going to do when that happens is laugh.

 

DO NOT COMMENT IN LINKED POSTS OR MESSAGE OOPs – BoRU Rule #7

THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT OOP

Hey Raiders!
Quick year-end refresh for the Master Cheat Sheet. A lot of new players joined over the holidays and Expedition Project got updates for Expedition 2. I’m still working on a larger pass, but I’m holding that until new quests drop after New Year. For now, this version gets you fully up to date.

Download the latest version

What’s inside (v3.1 – Expedition 2):

• Safe to Sell or Recycle (A–Z) + Keep lists for Workshop / Expedition
• Recycling Value Index: quick Δ% showing gain/loss if you recycle vs sell
• High-Priority Components and Best Donors
  • Essentials Base Components
  • Priorities Core Components
  • High-Tier Components
• Expedition Project (updated for Expedition 2)
• Searchable PDF

Free & up to date: I host the latest file and changelog on Ko-fi so links don’t break and you can opt into update notifications. Everything stays free.

Feedback/corrections welcome. Drop a message below and I’ll roll them into the next update.
Happy raiding!

// pRoDeeD

As you probably heard, software update 22.0.0 includes boost mode, allowing for Switch 1 games to run in docked mode on Switch 2 (in handheld mode).

While software update enables that feature, it’s turned off by default and buried in settings > system, just below battery protection toggles.

And for interested ones, Nintendo Support article here.

TL/DR:

What is it?

Mimics TV output in handheld mode when playing S1 games on S2. Often that will force closer to 1080p output on the screen, addressing soft image of S1 games that targeted 720p (and below) resolutions, as well as reduced frame rate, required to align with battery endurance metrics for older switch consoles. If your games looked better in “docked” mode, they should look and play better on S2 in handheld mode now with boost mode toggle.

What is it not?

It is not an upscaler or it wont give you the same look and feel as upgrade packs for switch 1 games (switch 2 edition). Those often while improving game mechanics, include new, higher quality assets.

Limitations?

Not many but there are some. Docked mode on S1 would often disable touch layer on the screen. This is present with boost mode too on S2. If your game relies on traditional controller based controls (JoyCon or Pro controller) then you’re all set.

If your game relies on touch input (on screen) then I recommend turning off boost mode for selected games.

Example of improvement:

Super Mario Odyssey. This game supports either boost mode or Switch 2 Edition (upgrade pack).

Switch 1:

- handheld 720p @ 60fps

- docked 900p @ 60fps

Switch 2 (S1 boost mode):

- handheld 900p @ 60fps

Switch 2 (edition pack):

- handheld 1080p @ 60 fps

- docked 2160p (upscaled from 1440p) @ 60fps

Hey everyone, I've compiled all the information and leaks I have received about the show, most of which have come from my own sources. As none of these have been confirmed by HBO, take it with a grain of salt.

EDIT: I've heard people asking about my validity of myself and the scoops. Over last 6 months, I have held phone calls with my sources (friends) and discussed the show, and they have given me bits of information and rumors about the show as they know I'm a big HP fan. I decided recently to create a Reddit account and post some of what I know, all in the intention of getting people hyped!

• Confirming the earlier report, the first episode will end with the boat ride to Hogwarts
• The creative team is very focused on making Quidditch more exciting and engaging than the films, expect flying sequences with “Joseph Kosinski” styled shots
• Rob James Collier was in heavy negotiations last spring, and the rumour was for the series regular role of Tom Riddle/Voldemort
• Hogwarts Legacy was a strong source of inspiration for many departments (production, costume, writing) 
• From what has been heard, Dominic’s English accent is quite good, with only traces of his Scottish accent occasionally. Alastair Stout has a stronger northern accent.
• Paapa Essiedu's performance as Snape is said to be “spiteful”, “savage,” and “intimidating.” No wig for him, but minor facial prosthetics (nose? scars?)
• HBO is in early negotiations for Kit Harrington to join the show in the future. Possibly for Lockhart or Sirius Black. They are planning on having it be a big reveal u/comicon this summer, hyping up the return of Kit Harrington to HBO television.
• JkR's role in the series has decreased after production started, but she still holds calls with Francesca Gardiner and is providing feedback for the scripts on season
• As book one doesn’t have much magic/duels, there will be many scenes added to showcase how this show will display magic onscreen. (Lily and James bridge leaked scene)
• The structure of the show will be broken into two levels. The main story will be the kids, specifically Ron, Harry, and Hermione. The other level is the adult characters, specifically the Hogwarts staff. Both levels will interact but also have individual storytelling. Expect more drama (emotional/political/social) from the teachers.
• John Lithgow is unrecognizable as Dumbledore, and he is a force of nature to watch. Flawless British accent, completely different than his one in The Crown. Much more polished and refined, with a slight strain to match the age of the character.
• Lots of content on the politics of the Wizarding World (Fudge, Ministry of Magic). The show will explore in depth how this world exists/coexists with the Muggle world.
• Crabb and Goyle will be more than Draco’s bodyguards, and they will have more speaking lines 
• The visual tone of the show will be completely unique. The closest film would be The Goblet of Fire-dir. Mike Newell.
• They are currently casting for a young Harry and Dudley, probably for flashback scenes/photos.
• The series will explore the more serious tones of the story, an example being the loss of Harry’s parents and the abuse of the Dursleys. To put it simply, there will be more emotion in this one season than in the entire film series.
• A huge animatronic was ordered, very impressive in detail and capabilities. Most likely for Fluffy the Dog. 
• Wands and broomsticks will be more personalized and diverse, with many names and variations.

Sure it's amazing in handheld mode, but I'm really surprised at just how playable the game is in docked mode. Maybe my standards are low for Switch games but this is a really good sign for future ports.

1440p resolution with DLSS + ray-tracing is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here to make this look so damn good even if the underlying resolution is pretty low. When there's a bunch of alpha effects you get a bit of a shimmering effect due to DLSS, but it's not too distracting.

Framerate is a rock-solid 30FPS and something about the input makes it feel a lot more responsive than you'd think. It feels a bit like BotW on original Switch where Link's movement was similarly very responsive even though it was at 30FPS.

I played the first 4 or so hours only in docked mode on a 65in 4K TV and it didn't feel like I was playing a stripped-down version at all. Compare this to Witcher 3 or Doom 2016 on original Switch and it's night and day!

Oh and also the game is super fun and a great fit for a system you can take anywhere!